Speeches by the Prime Minister

Statement on the 5 Murders in Waltham Park By Dr The Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP Prime Minister of Jamaica On November 26, 2024 ________________________________________ First, let me join with both the commissioner and the minister in extending my deep and sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of those who were brutally killed in this multiple-victim violent incident. We are very disturbed by this but I invite Jamaica and the press who are here with us to recall that a few weeks ago we had a press conference at the Office of the Prime Minister to discuss what we saw as an emerging trend in violence and in particular homicides in Jamaica. This is as a result we theorize from our very effective approach in neutralizing, eradicating and in many respects disbanding gangs in Jamaica. We have moved from over 300 documented gangs to now just under 180 and we continue to degrade and eradicate them so we take careful note of the change in the nature of homicides in Jamaica. And though it is not yet the majority of homicides where the homicides are committed in what we are describing as multiple-victim violent incidents rather…

Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, fellow Jamaicans: I am filled with excitement and optimism today as I announce a significant transition in our national economic policy. Today, we turn the page to a new chapter in Jamaica’s economic journey—a chapter of opportunity, and the potential to create a brighter future for every Jamaican. The Journey from Economic Crisis to Stability To appreciate this moment, we must first reflect on where we have come from. In 2013, Jamaica was at the very edge of an economic precipice. We faced unsustainable debt levels, massive unemployment, and the spectre of bankruptcy as a country. But out of that crisis, we found a common resolve to take control of our destiny, we rallied around a national consensus, focused on fiscal prudence, debt reduction, and macroeconomic stability. Through disciplined financial management, sound policies, and the sacrifices of our people, Jamaica has achieved an extraordinary turnaround: We have halved our debt from over 146% of GDP to under 70%. We have reduced the unemployment rate from 15% to a record low of 4.2% We have increased our Net International Reserves from US$0.9 billion to a record high of US$5.7 billion Our external credit rating as measured…

Keynote Address By The Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP, DLP Prime Minister of Jamaica At the National Police College of Jamaica Graduation Ceremony, Inspector Development Course 2024 On November 12, 2024 _______________________________________ I will just say you look good. Yes, you do look good and you will permit me if I get a selfie with you. People, quality, technology... This is a moment to save for posterity.  You may not realize that you are a part of history, but you are.  Jamaica has struggled long and hard to get to this point to say that we can witness the transformation of the JCF.  It's a long struggle. It started from the '90s when we thought that the only way to do it would be to import foreign officers into our ranks. We did get some benefits from that. We struggled with a culture that became well-established and difficult to uproot. We struggled with resources. We struggled with keeping people in the force, the attrition was very high. Do you recall those days? My conversation with the commissioner just a while ago is that you are now slightly above your establishment of 14,000 and now you're recruiting more persons…

Remarks By Dr. The Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP Prime Minister of Jamaica At the Official Launch of the National Identification Registration Authority and Issuance of Cards On November 15, 2024 ___________________________________________ This is a moment long in coming and one that the entire Jamaican people can be proud of. As a nation, we have been talking about a national ID from as long ago as in the '70s. Several Cabinet submissions and pieces of legislation were drafted, but we have never found the wherewithal to actually engage in and complete the process. I must thank all the persons who have worked long and hard to have the National Identification Card brought to this point. And I want to thank the NIRA, (National Identification and Registration Agency), for the incredible work that they have done in bringing the project to this point. I also want to thank the NIDS team out of the Office of the Prime Minister who also worked very hard across several agencies and collaborated with our international partners and I specifically want to acknowledge the IDB, who have been very supportive of this project. We are now at the point where we can now…

Remarks By The Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP, DLP Prime Minister of Jamaica At the Tour of Troy Bridge Construction Site On November 8, 2024 ____________________________________ I believe it was in 2021 that the former Troy Bridge that was here where we are now standing collapsed just after the passage of a tropical storm and the ensuing debate in Parliament was such that I had to make a commitment to both the Speaker of the House at the time, Member of Parliament Marissa Dalrymple Philbert and Member of Parliament Mr Phillips from the adjoining constituency that I would visit the area, talk to the residents, give them assurance that their bridge would be replaced but this bridge is a microcosm of the general problems facing Jamaica's ageing infrastructure. The bridge was built in 1869, so the former Troy Bridge is about 155  years old but consider that the bridge was built that long ago and that it has stood the test of time of more than a century.  But the truth is, it is not that the bridge has only reached its useful life, that the useful life of that bridge would have been about a hundred years,…

Address By The Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP, DLP Prime Minister of Jamaica At Post Cabinet Press Briefing 0n November 6, 2024 _______________________________________ I think you could describe my interventions as a wrap in media terms. I will be traversing several subject areas and trying to put everything into context. Let me begin with the recent rains that we have had as a result of the tropical storm. Minister Morgan would have given you an update as to the damage that took place. We are not yet in a position to give definitive figures as to the damage assessment and what it will cost. Our figures are preliminary, but we expect them to be in the wide region of between half a billion to a billion dollars but as I said, by the end of today,  we will have more refined figures to share with the public. I would like to point out that we have a multi-layered disaster risk response mechanism which we didn't have five years or so ago. In other words, this is a new development in our government, which all Jamaicans should be proud of. One of the features of the old Jamaica is…

Post Cabinet Press Briefing Appointment of Finance and Education Ministers On October 30, 2024 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP, DLP, Prime Minister: This morning I’m reminded that today is a pivotal day in Jamaican history, the 30th of October.  I take you back to the year 1980 when the Jamaica Labour Party won what was described then as a landslide victory. Then, I believe the largest margin won by any political party of the time, but it is more remembered for the deliverance campaign. It was also remembered as a time when Jamaica pivoted from a particular type and style of governance, and it is usually well regarded as a period of time for the rescue and recovery of the Jamaican economy. I start there by pointing out this time in history because we are also in a long campaign for the rescue and recovery of Jamaica and which we have been doing a wonderful job in that regard but we're also at a point of pivot, a point of inflection, a point where we are poised for even greater change. I know that a number of Jamaicans have been waiting apparently with bated breath for these…

Keynote Address By The Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP, DLP Prime Minister of Jamaica At the UTECH International Climate Conference On October 17, 2024 _______________________________________ Good morning. Thank you, Master of Ceremonies, Professor Garfield Young, for the mastery with which you have conducted the ceremony. I'm not sure if there is a professorship in directing ceremony and protocol but Mr President, if there is, I know who the candidate is to hold that first seat. The Honourable Fayval Williams or Minister of Education His Excellency Olivier Guyonvarch, our Ambassador to Jamaica from France. Dr Kevin Brown, our President of the University of Technology. And I noted very carefully what the president said that he doesn't hear a lot of noise about climate change in the society, but he hears a lot of noise about it at the government level. I reflected on it and wanted to point out to him that the government doesn't make noise. The government must always make coherent statements, and if we make them more frequently, which we do on climate change, then they will filter down into the consciousness of the people in the society who won't make noise but will make a…

Remarks By The Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP Prime Minister of Jamaica At the Contractor’s Materials Testing Laboratory, Montego Bay On October 16, 2024 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today I had the privilege of touring one of the major infrastructure development projects for Jamaica, the Montego Bay Perimeter Road. The Montego Bay Perimeter Road is not only the bypass of Montego Bay, it involves improvement of various roadways within Montego Bay proper and the Long Hill bypass. I'm very impressed with what I have seen. This is one of the Jamaica 60 legacy projects, and we are at 50 percent completion already for such a massive project. Some of the infrastructure work is impressive. We viewed a bridge that is 30 meters high, 180 meters in length, a four-lane bridge. That is possibly the longest bridge in Jamaica, the infrastructure is laudable but what I'm particularly impressed with is the integration of the local labour force into the actual construction itself. The project is managed and being executed by China Harbour, but the arrangements that have been put in place to ensure that local workforce and local talent is integrated. I think those arrangements have to be commended. I saw young…